The Precarious Exploits of The Crows: Book One
by B. D. Legan
Summary: Hello. You're acquainted to The Crows. Yes, The Crows. It was something that happened purely by chance, and it stuck. I'm pretty sure it was directed as an insult to us, but well… it's catchy. And crows are quite remarkable creatures. Quite.
1. Mall Time, Mall Time, Maaalll Time!

**This is actually cowritten by three indivuals. _Alise_ was based after me, and thus, I write her POV, _Jetta_ is Kayli, and _Justin _is Garrett. The first chapter is written in short POVs to aquaint you with the characters. Enjoy. :D**

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><p><em>The Precarious Exploits of The Crows<em>

_Book One: The Rising_

B r e . K a y l i . G a r r e t t

_**Various.**_

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><p>"<em>It's okay to be different—it's good to be different. We should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color." –Johnny Depp<em>

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><p>Hey. Hi. Hello. Aloha. Howdy. Greetings. Bonjour. Blah. Blah. Blah. It's doesn't matter how you say it, the point it, we're acquainted now. I suppose the question is, <em>who are you acquainted to, now?<em> Well, the answer is simple. You're acquainted to The Crows. Yes, _The Crows_. It was something that happened purely by chance, and it stuck. I'm pretty sure it was directed as an insult to us, but well… it's catchy. And crows are quite remarkable creatures. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Perhaps we should rewind to _before_ the three of us were branded with that name.

I had always wondered if it was fate that brought us together, or it was pure chance that we ran into each other. And I mean that in the most literal way. We had, quite frankly, ran directly into each other. It was a crowded place, and I always hated crowds. Perhaps that's way I was running for my life. Or, perhaps it was for other reasons. My reasons for running were hardly the point. Hardly the point at all.

I often think back to the time I met my two best friends. I think the Fates were high on some sort of hallucinogen, to be honest with you. I'm sure if they had been in their right minds, we would have never met. But then again, if we had never met, that mall wouldn't have been blown up. Also, I wouldn't have ended up in military school. It's funny how things work out, isn't it?

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><p><strong><em>Alise<em>**

"Why is _she_ at this store?" a high voice whispered.

'Yeah," someone else said. "The Goth store is like, down the hall." Laughter sounded from somewhere behind me. I sighed, looking down at the pink jacket in my hand then to my own clothing—a black Alice Cooper shirt, dark skinny jeans, and a pair of florescent green Converse. It wasn't like I was buying the coat for myself. _Gosh dang it_, it was for my sister!

I quickly walked to the cashier, refraining from looking at the group of girls. I was not in the mood to talk to ignorant people. And well, they didn't sound like Einsteins to me.

"Is this a gift?" the cashier asked, placing the magenta hoodie into a box. She punched a few numbers into the register, then told me the total.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked, quickly glancing over my shoulder at the girls. The cashier just rolled her eyes and handed me the box and my change. She wished me a good day, though she didn't add a 'come back soon' to it. _Some people… I swear. _

I was about to exit the store, when I heard a low, gurgling sound behind me. I won't repeat exactly what was running through my mind, as I'm sure you have a pretty good idea. Raising an eyebrow, I slowly turned around.

"Oh my—" In front of me, not more than ten feet away, the group of girls that had been harassing me, had disappeared. Or rather, they were in the process of disappearing. Though, they weren't exactly disappearing—they were forming together into one giant_… thing_.

The girls were slowly morphing together, their skin turning green, sickly green. Their necks were lengthening as their bodies become one big mass, their legs fusing together. A massive tail swung out behind them—correction_: it_. One of the heads opened, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, teeth that wanted to rip me to shreds. A low, grumbling roar sounded from deep within one of its meaty throats. Eight sets of beady eyes turned in my direction.

I frowned, then did something completely irrational—I waved. I _waved_! "I uh, I need to be going," I muttered, edging closer to the door. "Like you said, I don't belong in this store. I'll just be heading to the uh, Goth store. Yeah, okay?" I reached towards the handle of the door, and turned my back for a split second.

_Not the brightest move, I admit. Though it did get brighter—just not brighter in the way I intended. Not a helpful 'brighter' either. Ah, I just love my luck._

I opened the door, and glanced over my shoulder at the beast, who had all its toothy maws opened, bright balls of fire heading towards me.

_Well, that can't be good._

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><p><em><strong>Jetta <strong>_

"_The boy who lived…" _

"Wow. How crazy is that?" I muttered, waving my arms in the air for emphasis. I slowly looked around, mentally cursing in the process. Apparently I had said that a tad bit louder than I thought, as there were several eyes trained on me. My face reddened as I burrowed further into my book. _Oops_.

I tried to get engrossed in my book—no, _The_ book. The _mother_ of all books. The _big dog daddy_ of all books—to no avail. At a snail's pace, my eyes rose above the ivory pages. You know when they say you can feel it whenever someone's watching you? Well, it's _true_.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" I asked the growing crowd of children gathering around me. Their eyes widened as I said that. I cracked a wolfish grin, and gave a wink. They scattered.

_Now then_, I thought to myself. _Back to Mr. Harry Po—_I looked up. Something wasn't right. I looked around. There wasn't a soul in sight, which was very uncommon in the bookstore. Usually, it bordered on claustrophobic.

_Um… _

"Hello? Anyone—" I choked on my breath, then sucked it back in really quick, as a scream sounded—very faintly, but a scream none-the-less.

_Don't involve yourself in matters that are not your own,_ my inner consciousness urged.

"And why not?" I asked to no one in particular. Though, I suppose it wouldn't have matter who I had directed my question at, since there was NOBODY AROUND!

_It will only end in heartbreak_, the voice whispered quietly.

_Oh… Why did my mind have to bring that up? As my psychologist had so kindly put it, I needed to let go. Live on. Forget the past. Live in the present— _

A low grumbling broke my thought process. Hot, dank breath tickled the back of my neck, a scent like rotting corpse filled my nostrils, and some mystery substance dripped down onto my neck. Me, being the curious young lady I was, reached back to feel what was towering over my head.

_Big mistake. _

My outstretched fingers connected with fur, though it wasn't fur I had ever felt before. It had a hard feeling to it, like it was metallic fur.

I'm going insane. _Metallic fur? Really?_

Slowly, I raised my head, and felt my eye twitch. My mouth opened in a silent scream, and the world around me started to blur.

_Don't pass out now, you dummie! _

I scrambled to my feet, and eyed the beast in front of me. It was tall—pretty dang tall, and muscular, like… think of the beefiest kid at your school. Now, multiply that times one thousand, and you've got the thing in front of me. Its mouth snarled, revealing super sharp teeth, and its beady eyes stared down at with such hatred.

"What are you, a lion?" I asked it. Its nose twitched. I took it as a yes. "Awe, well you're not so bad," I whispered, reaching forward to pet its snout.

It probably would have let me, too, if it hadn't heard the rather annoying scream of, "HOLY CRAP!"

Its eye twitched, and its mouth opened in a tremendous roar, the exhale of its seriously stinky breath blowing my hair around me.

"Uh, so I guess now would be a good time to run?" I asked the not-so-friendly lion. I could have sworn it gave me a small nod. "Then I bid you farewell, Sir Lion." I bowed quickly, then took off, my short legs propelling me faster than I thought possible. Of course, it wasn't quick enough. My lion buddy was right behind.

_Nice._

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><p><strong><em>Justin<em>**

"HOLY CRAP! Are you _serious_? This is the price for a measly _pair of shoes_?" I stepped forward, throwing my arms in the air, all the while holding the black and white Jordan's. "_Two hundred_ bucks for a pair of Jordan's with a scuff on them? Why?" I turned away from the cashier, and back to the horde of impatient people behind me. "Do you believe this guy? Two hundred bucks for this?" I held up the scuffed shoes for everyone to see. "This is a big corporate scam, trying to get the little guys like you and I—"

"Sir, I've called security. Leave this store peacefully, or be forcibly removed," the nasally voice of the cashier behind me said.

I promptly turned back to face the deeply tanned face, my head held high. "Sir, I am a very peaceful man. I was born and raised in a respectable house, I was taught my manors, I was taught what was fair, and most importantly, I was taught what was not. This fine place you have here—" I paused, looking at confused man's nametag—_Carl_. "Carl, this is not fair. Now I suggest you lower your prices, or my friends—" I gestured behind me at the throng of people. "—And I will not be shopping here again!"

I waited to hear the cheering from the crowd, and… _nothing_. "Oh, come on! You guys!" I turned back to face my so-called-followers, who were all standing there with bored expressions on their faces. "Come on! Who's with me?"

Again, no one responded.

"Alright," I mumbled, throwing the precious shoes onto the counter. I leaned forward, against the counter, and towards the man behind it. "How's about you cut a bro some slack? You give me a discount, and I'll throw in a little something for you, eh? How's that sound?"

I raised my brows, waiting to see what his response was. He simply pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'm sorry sir, but the price on the tag is the price you pay. That is, of course, without tax. Now then, I suggest you pay, or—" He gave me an arrogant smile. "Next!"

"Come on now," I pleaded. "What about one fifty? Is that acceptable? It's more than what they're worth, what with that unsightly _scuff_. Hey, I'm doing you favor taking them off your hands. Whatcha say?"

The cashier turned his attention back to me once more, this time examining me. He looked back at me, then smirked. "You know what, there might me _something_ you could do for me." He gave me a wink, and pulled out a piece of paper. He scribbled down a series of numbers, then handed it to me. His whole tone changed as he said, "You call me after I'm off work, and we'll see what you can do for me, okay?" He gave another wink, and started to reach forward towards my face.

_What the fudge monkeys?_ "Uh… I um—My gate doesn't swing that way, dude," I quickly mumbled, high-tailing my way away from the checkout line, towards the exit. My arm outstretched towards the door, only to be intercepted by someone else's.

I glanced up at the owner of the hand—he was _huge_, I'm talking eight feet I-can-slam-dunk-a-basketball-like-there's-no-tomorrow huge. His arms were hairy, muscular, heavily tattooed, and did I mention _huge?_! That pretty well described the rest of him—hair, muscular, heavily tattooed, and _huge_. He wore a very tight version of a security guard suit, and his uniform had _Joe Bob_ stitched in.

"Erm…" I struggled to come up with any sort of anything that resembled the English language. "You know, I was just leaving. There's—there's no need to escort me out. I'm—I'm good," I managed to stutter, trying to ease past the security-guard-on-steroids.

Joe Bob made a deep grunting sound, and lunged forward. Thankfully, my many years of basketball had paid off. I rolled to the side, and somehow managed to get on the other side of the hairy man. With a fleeting glance over my shoulder, I jumped through the glass door, Joe Bob hot in pursuit.

_Today just isn't my day._


	2. Not the Hotdog Stand!

_The Precarious Exploits of The Crows_

_Book One: The Rising_

B r e . K a y l i . G a r r e t t

_**Alise.**_

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><p>"<em>Life sucks, but in a beautiful kind of way." –Axl Rose<em>

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><p><em>Oh my gosh. <em>

_Oh my gosh. _

_Oh my gosh. _

I stole a quick glance over my shoulder, towards the impending doom. The _giant_ monster-dragon type dealio—_I couldn't think of anything else to describe it as… it was literally a giant monster-dragon with seven heads. What else could I say? Oh… shut it_—was high-tailing its way towards me, and through the throngs of people. The jolly mall goers were being flung through the air by a single sweep of Sir Dragon's tail, silent pleads evident on their faces. The beast's eight heads were all, unfortunately, focused directly on me.

Why _me_? What made _me_ so special?

One of the monster's maws—_dripping with a green, poisonous liquid_—unhinged itself _again_, and a fireball formed within.

"No, no! Don't catch more stores on fire," I yelled at the dragon, who's head lurched backwards. It made a _I'm-hawking-a-loogie sound_, then released the flames. "Ah shazzbot," I mumbled as I jumped onto the escalator in front of me—which had stopped working. _Just my luck_—and slid down the banister, concentrating on not falling off. I had almost made it, too…

"Ohhaahhgagg—" I managed to spit out as I tumbled off the railing and down the last few stairs to the ground, doing a face plant. _Wonderful_.

I scrambled to my feet, hoping the dragon couldn't climb down the escalator. You know what? He couldn't. He could, however, _jump_ over the dang-blasted thing. Yes. Mr. Monster hopped over the escalator, flew over my head, and _guess what_? He landed right on my _favorite_ hotdog stand!

"Ah, no! Not _that_ hotdog stand! They gave me discounts! Oh _come on_!" I yelled, looking around at the mob of people surrounding the area. They all wore looks of amazement, and a few had started clapping their hands.

"Oh my, the rider is so talented," I heard a woman say beside me. She had a dreamy look on her face, and had clasped her hands. Her small daughter was clapping her hands.

"Wait, what? You're not concerned with the fire breathing dragon in front of us? And what rider?" I asked, turning my attention back to the monster. It was slowly getting up, and appeared to be disoriented.

"The _elephant _rider!" the lady said, pointing towards the dragon. "He's so flexible. How does he bend that way? It's so unnatural! Oh look! Look what he's doing! It's so… BIG!"

_What in the_—"What are you talking about? There's a _freaking fire breathing DRAGON_ in front of us! Stop staring and run for your lives!" The woman didn't move, so I picked up the little girl and took off, dodging the crowd. I heard the woman shouting after me. _What am I doing? I'm a kidnapper!_

I heard the roar of the dragon, and cursed under my breath. I stole a quick glance behind me—the woman and dragon were making like a madman towards me. And no, there was no _elephant_ behind me. What were these people sniffing?

I sat the little girl down and told her to go to the nearest store—_Build-A-Bear_—and took off again, after I saw the woman grab her daughter. The dragon snarled and tensed up.

"Oh no, no—don't jump! Don't—" And… he _jumped_. Right on top of this nifty little stand where they sold some seriously awesome jewelry. I could browse there for hours. _Not anymore_. "Thank you. Just… _thank you_."

The dragon roared—all of its mouths, I might add—then stood up. I could have sworn it winked at me. "Y-you're not going to breath fire on me _again_, are you?" It opened its fire breathing maw and a light formed inside—_fire_. "I take that as a yes." I mentally face-palmed, then took off in the opposite direction, towards the exit. The only thing in my way, unfortunately, was the giant fountain. I stared at it in all its glory, completely unaware of the two people also running towards the fountain.

The next thing I knew, I was sprawled out on the ground, two strangers next to me. _What the— _"You guys are seeing this, too, right? I'm _not_ crazy," a voice said, semi-deep, and distinctly male. I slowly raised up, turning my head to the right to look at the person speaking. He had tanned skin, freckles splashed across the bridge of his nose. His hair was short and muddy brown, and his eyes were a brilliant shade of green, flecks of blue generously supplied.

"Who are—" I started to say, but was interrupted by the person to the other side of me.

"There's a large lion staring at me. Is that normal?" another voice said, higher than the previous one—_a girl_. I turned and was met by shockingly bright red hair. She was pale, nearly as pale as I was, and had unusually colored eyes—golden, like honey.

I followed her gaze, to a lion with a growth problem—it was nearly as tall as the dragon that had come to a rest beside it, and its fur glinted with a metallic flair. To the other side of the gigantilion, was a security guard on steroids. He was big and buff and covered in tattoos—_easy to describe_.

"You guys_… ran into me_," I mumbled, glaring at the two.

"There's a group of monsters staring at us like it's dinner time, and all you're concerned with is being knocked down?" the guy asked. He was probably around my age—they both probably were—which was sixteen.

"Why don't we quit all the mumbo-jumbo, and figure out what in the world is going on, eh?" the girl suggested, scrambling to her feet. The monsters inched closer.

I chuckled nervously and jumped up to my feet, as well. I noticed I was a few inches taller than the girl. _Go me!_

"Good point," the guy stuttered, slowly rising to his feet. The monsters crawled closer, the scent of their breath overpowering.

"So, uh… what's the plan?" I asked. What was I supposed to say_? 'Hey, wassup? Oh, what's up with me? Nothin' much, just getting chased by a fire breathing dragon with multiple heads. But I'm good.'_

"Alright," the brown headed guy said, "You two are going to distract the monsters and I'll… uh, I'll do something over—"

I sharply turned, crossing my arms. "Are you serious? You want to _sacrifice_ us to save your puny little self?"

The girl also turned, her arms folded in the same manner mine were. _I had a feeling we would get along well_. "_Us_? Why would _we_ sacrifice _ourselves_ to save _you_?"

He mumbled something, then his eyes widened. He tackled the two of us to the ground just as the dragon ripped another fireball right where our heads had been.

If I had had time, I probably would have thanked him. Well… maybe not. He _did_ suggest sacrificing us. But that's beside the point. The buff security guard—he had the name _Joe Bob_ stitched on his uniform—surged forward, a giant club in his hands. His muscly arms rippled with strength and all the hair on his body seemed to blow backwards. The lion pounced at that exact moment, its beady eyes intent to kill. The dragon released another fireball. What was running through my mind, you ask? _Where was I going to get my hotdogs now?_

I felt myself leap in the air and land inside of the fountain, then climb up the statue in the middle—a bunch of little cupids holding bows and arrows, squirting water out of their mouths. I didn't have to think about what I was going to next—it was like my battle reflexes had kicked in. If only I was this agile in PE…

The fireball crashed into the base of the fountain, and it burst into flames. The lion leapt into the water, and Joe Bob hopped in beside it. I glanced over at the two teens I had bumped into. They had climbed up the statue, too, and were clinging to the cupids.

"I'm sorry I was going to sacrifice you," the guy whispered, staring down at the monsters.

"And I'm sorry I called you puny," I said, cracking a tiny smile. He definitely wasn't puny. He was over six feet tall from the brief glance I was able to take while he was standing.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the battle cry of a girl crashing through the window in the roof, a jetpack on her back. She had blonde hair in a braid and was waving a gun in the air. "Die monsters, die!" she shouted, opening fire on the monsters below. I almost didn't notice the guy floating through the air beside her. He had light brown hair in a faux hawk and a scowl on his face.

"The Nemean Lion, Hydra, _and _a Laistrygonian Giant?" the floating guy said, pulling out a double bladed dagger.

"Soon to be pulverized," the girl yelled, a maniacal grin on her face. Her voice had a Southern twang to it. She quickly reloaded her gun, then let another round loose.

The buff security guard had several bullet holes in his body, and was stumbling backwards. The fire breathing dragon threw up another fireball, this one aimed at the flying kids. It missed and arced down to one of the stores—_Hot Topic. Gosh dang… three of my favorite things destroyed in one day._ The lion didn't appear to be affected by the bullets at all. In fact, it appeared like they were bouncing off of its fur.

The guy dropped to the ground and zipped up his leather jacket. Immediately, it began to morph into what looked like black armor—full body armor. He jumped on top of the muscly guy, stabbing the dagger into his neck. He briefly glanced back up at the three of us and yelled, "Come on, make yourselves useful. Get down here and fight!"

I looked over at the red head girl. Her eyes were wide and she was biting her lip.

"We don't have any weapons," the boy I had ran into said. He also looked frightened. Was it weird that I didn't feel even remotely scared of the impending doom? I smirked and broke off one of the arrows from the cupid statue I was holding on to, then hopped down. I frowned at the stone arrow in my hand, then charged the glittery lion.

So maybe that wasn't the _wisest _thing to do, but hey, it _did_ distract the feline whenever I dodged under its head and stabbed one of its clawed hands. It roared in pain and attempted to stomp on me. I danced around it, gracefully hopping onto its back. _Okay… maybe 'graceful' wasn't the word I should have used_, _but I sure felt pretty awesome doing it_.

I looked up for a moment, and saw the girl and boy that I had collided with climbing down the statues, stone arrows in their hands as well. The girl with the jet pack was still firing her gun, though she was carefully aiming at the multi-headed dragon. The faux hawk boy had just slit the throat of the giant guard and was running towards me, his armor glinting.

The lion bucked, and I flew up in the air, still managing to hold on to the crazy thing, my teeth clattering. I felt like one of those exercise things you shake to tone your arms—_The Shaker_. I let go with one hand and stabbed the lion with the arrow. Rather, I _tried_. The stone arrow crumbled in my hand as it connected with the fur. I mentally face-palmed _again_ and grabbed back on the lion. Now what was I going to do? If only I could just absorb the life right out of this beast…

I felt a tug in my gut, and suddenly the lion collapsed. A sudden burst of strength welled inside me, and I fell off the beast, landing on my feet as the flying guy ran past me, then backed up. Raising an eyebrow, he pointed at the lion who was taking ragged breaths and asked, "Did you do that?"

"I—I think so," I mumbled, looking down at my hands. _Did I do that?_

He gave me a little smile, then kicked open the lion's maw, revealing the tender flesh inside. He took his dagger quickly stabbed it. The lion disintegrated into a golden film, leaving behind nothing but the pelt. He bent down and picked it up, then threw it at me.

"What is—"

"Keep it," he said, his eyes twinkling. They were shockingly silver and reminded me of a brewing storm. "You're the one who killed it. All I did was speed up the process." He shrugged his shoulders and ran over to the dragon, shouting orders at the blonde headed girl, who had landed and was hitting one of its noses with the butt of her gun. All of the dragon's eyes had turned milky white. She aimed perfectly at its eyes _eighteen times_! Without its sight, the dragon was having a hard time aiming fireballs.

I started towards the dragon, hoping to help with it, but the silver eyed guy shook his head. "Get out of here. We've got it under control. Help your friends out of the mall. We'll meet you in the parking lot." He turned back to the dragon and slashed off a head. The girl made a ball of light form in her hands, then aimed it at the stump where one of the heads was. _Weird…_

I quickly located the two teens I had run into. They were slowly making their way towards the exit. I ran up to them in no time, realizing why they were traveling so slow. The red head was limping on her ankle and had her arm around they guy's neck. I opened my mouth to ask what she had done, but she explained before I had to. "I twisted my ankle hopping down from the statue. It happens all the time."

"What's that you're holding?" the guy asked, eyeing the pelt in my arms.

"I'm not sure," I mumbled, holding it out in front of me. It was huge and quite heavy. It had areas where I figured arms would go. "Maybe it's a coat?" I slipped my arms through the holes, and felt it shrink up to fit my body, changing from a light brown to a black. I held out my arms, admiring the distressed leather. "Huh, well what do'ya know? It _is _a coat."

The green eyed boy was about to say something, whenever a bright light flashed from behind us. All three of us turned and saw a new figure. I could only see his back—pin stripe suit, dark hair. He held a lightning bolt in his hand. _And I'm not kidding.. it was a real lightning bolt_.

"Father, what are you doing here?" the boy with the black armor asked, stepping towards the man. He seemed to spit the word _Father _out, like he didn't like using it.

The girl with the braid put a hand on his shoulder to stop him and whispered, "No Jax. Don't." They had apparently killed the dragon, as it was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are the three I sent the monsters to kill?" a booming voice asked. The air in the room cackled with electricity.

The boy, _Jax_, quickly glanced up at the three of us, silently pleading for us to run. I nodded and picked the girl up, sprinting towards the exit.

"You sent monsters to kill someone?" Jax asked, his voice rising.

"They must be disposed of. Now where are they?"

"I would never tell you," he said. "Never. You can't kill any more innocent souls. I won't let you."

We reached the door, and the boy opened it. The booming voice cackled, and a bright light flashed again. A scream echoed through the mall, a scream I would _never_ forget. _Jax…_


	3. Like the Guitarist for Mayhem?

_The Precarious Exploits of The Crows_

_Book One: The Rising_

_B r e . K a y l i . G a r r e t t_

_**Jetta.**_

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><p>"<em>Curiosity is not a sin... But we should exercise caution with our curiosity... yes, indeed." –Albus Dumbledore<em>

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><p>"I would never tell you," the boy with the silver eyes spat. "Never. You can't kill any more innocent souls. I won't let you." <em>What in the world is going on? And why am I being carried by this girl? Why couldn't that guy man up and carry me? I mean... Come on! <em>

We reached the door and the guy opened it. _At least he did something,_ I mentally added. The loud voice boomed, shaking the walls of the mall. A bright light flashed, and I tried to crane neck over the girl's shoulder. She shook her head and gave me a stern look. I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic, but stopped. A piercing scream filled the air, and I closed my eyes.

"Come on," the girl carrying me whispered, surging through the door. I heard the guy following behind.

"What just happened?" I asked, trying again to look over the girl's shoulder. She looked down at me, her eyes so black, they could have been taken right out of the midnight sky, you know, provided there were no celestial bodies to interfere with the darkness… She pursed her lips, the piercing below her nose wiggling. She had several piercings, actually, another on her nose, lip, and one on her eyebrow.

She was silent for a moment, debating something. Finally she said, "I'm not sure. I'm not sure at all."

"That one boy—"

"Jax," the girl carrying me whispered. A piece of black hair fell into her eyes. With a fluid flip of her head, the piece went back to its original position. Her hair was cut short and spiky, and had a red stripe running down the front. She glanced down at me and rolled her eyes. "Am I _that_ interesting?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, you are."

She frowned, then mumbled something about setting me down. She helped to steady me, then turned to face the brown headed boy. "Jax said to meet him in the parking lot," the girl said. She had a bit of an accent; I just couldn't place what it was. "I don't think we should wait up for him, though. We need to get out of here."

The boy stopped in front of us and crossed his arms. I noticed he was wearing a green Fox shirt and a pair of denim shorts. He shook his head. "Did that really just happen? Were those _monsters_ real?"

"I don't know," the girl muttered, crossing her arms as well. "Nearly every culture in history has supported the claim that monsters could exist. In fact, it's a reoccurring theme in the occult studies."

"Uh… _occult?_" The boy raised an eyebrow, confusion on his face.

"She means that science neither supports nor disproves the existence of monsters. That being said, it's fully possible for monsters to exist," I said, nodding my head.

"Come again?"

"They probably were real," the girl and I said together, in nearly perfect synchronicity. I glanced sideways out of the corner of my eyes to the girl, who appeared to be doing the same to me. _We seemed to have a lot in common_.

"Do you guys know each other?" the guy asked, eyeing the two of us.

I shook my head. "Never seen her before in my life."

"I don't recall ever gracing either of your presences," the black hair girl said, smirking. "I'm sure I would have remembered."

"What do you mean, _you would have remembered_?" I asked, turning to face the girl.

"Take macho-man, over here," she said, nodding to the brown headed boy. "You're obviously very proud of your athletic abilities. You're outspoken—I can tell just by looking. But you probably don't think before you speak, which can cause problems." She paused, looking at his clothing. "You dress very carefully," she said, taking a step closer to Sir Green Eyes. "You like name brands, but you try to dress them down, maybe as to not draw as much attention to your wardrobe? You're disciplined. Army brat or military school?"

"Military school," he said crisply, turning his head. "How did you know all that just by looking at me?"

She leered, her eyes sparkling in an almost zealous manner. "I'm _very _observant. Human behavior interests me."

"Alright," I said, crossing my arms. "What about me?"

"Well, you're wearing dark colors," she started. "You try to blend in with the background whether you notice or not. You're obviously interested in magic, you're the proud owner of killer boots, which I love, by the way, and you must have hankering for reading. I'm right so far, right?" She paused, allowing me to slowly nod my head. My mouth had unhinged itself during her speech, and was open to catch flies. "You probably only live with one parent, I'm guessing it's your dad?" I raised an eyebrow, and she grinned, then continued. "And… someone you cared about has left this world recently, haven't they?" My eyes widened. _How did she know about my brother?_ "A sibling, possibly?"

"Shut up," I muttered, balling my fists. I felt my pulse speed up.

"You feel guilty for what happened. You—"

"I said _shut up_." I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth. I felt something tug in my gut.

"You were there when it happened. I can feel it on you. What—"

"SHUT UP!" I shrieked. The tug at my gut intensified, and I doubled over. All of a sudden, the tugging stopped, and I felt a rush of power escape. The sound of exploding metal sounded behind me as I fell to my knees. My vision started to darken.

"Oh my gosh," someone muttered.

"The mall—" I heard a voice say.

"On fire," some said in disbelief.

"Exploded."

"Did she do that?"

I gave a futile attempt to turn and look behind me, but couldn't. The last thing I saw was the piercing green eyes of the boy who wouldn't carry me as I blacked out.

"Come on, you can get her feet. I'm going to step up slowly. Just don't drop her again. She's going to have a nasty bruise, I'm sure," a familiar voice mumbled.

"It wasn't my fault _you_ dropped her. I thought you had ahold of her!" another familiar voice grunted. I felt myself being lifted, and slowly opened my eyes.

_Big mistake_.

"Gah!" I yelped as my body jerked in surprise—my natural response at trying to distance myself from the black denim-clad butt that had occupied my vision. My arms slipped from the girl's grip, and my head hit something hard.

"I think she's awake," the green eyed boy laughed. I moaned and slowly stood up, rubbing the giant knot on the back of my head.

"Come on kids, let's go," a smooth, impatient voice said. I looked up, and saw an overweight man sitting behind a steering wheel—a bus driver.

"Where are we?" I asked as I was pushed up the steps of the bus. The punk girl deposited some change and guided me into a seat near the back of the bus.

Once the bus lurched forward, the girl said, "We had to get away. After the mall caught on fire, people began surrounding us. You were out cold, so we picked you up and high-tailed it out of there. We saw this bus stopped, so we boarded it."

"The mall… caught on _fire_?" I asked, leaning over the girl to see if the guy was sitting a crossed the aisle. He was.

"It burst into flames as you collapsed," he said, shaking his head. "This whole thing is—"

"Supernatural," the girl whispered. "It's supernatural."

"Like ghosts?" the guy asked.

"Supernatural has more than one meaning, you know," I said, reaching into my shoulder bag. I quickly located the book I was looking for, and pulled it out. _Now then… s… s…_

"You carry a _dictionary _with you?" the green eyed boy gasped.

"Yes," I mumbled, leafing through the pages. "Ah, here it is. _Supernatural: of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil_."

"See? It was supernatural," the girl said. She was twirling her lip ring nonchalantly.

"Fire breathing dragons, overgrown lions with metallic fur, seriously beefed up security guards, flying kids with weapons, guys that zap in with an incredibly bright light… what the _crap_ is going on? You say it's supernatural, but what's causing it?"

"First, please don't say that word," the girl said. "And second, do I look like I know?"

"What word? And I don't know! I don't know anything anymore," the guy mumbled, staring out the window.

"Crap. I _hate_ that word. It's so… _vile_," the black headed girl whispered, looking down at her black fingernails.

There was a brief moment of silence, broken by myself. "So what are we going to do? Apparently I blew up the mall, you absorbed the life right out of the lion, and you," I said, motioning to the guy. "Well, you've not done anything yet, but I'm sure you will."

"Unfortunately, weird stuff like this happens to me all the time. My best advice, let's forget all about this. Pretend like it never happened," the girl said, shrugging her shoulders. "We're not too far from my house. We can go there, and you guys can call your rides. And then we forget all about each other."

"You just want to forget this?" the guy asked. "You want to forget that all this ever happened? Something great just happened to us, and you want to _ignore_ it? What if this is a sign from some higher power? You can't ignore stuff like that!"

"Oh yeah? Well watch me," the girl muttered, stand up from her seat. I heard her mumble something under her breath as she started up the aisle.

"What's her problem?" the guy asked, jumping up from his seat, starting after her.

"Oh Jetta, do you need help getting up? I know you just twisted your ankle, and you're probably still dizzy from where we dropped you on your head," I muttered. "Oh no, I'm good. But thanks." I sighed and wearily stood up, following the two to the front. The bus was eerily quiet, and there was a reason for that. _No one_ was on the bus, aside from the three of us and the bus driver. _That couldn't be good_.

"What's wrong? Was it something I said?" the boy asked, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

She shrugged it off and said to the bus driver, "You can stop here. I need to get off."

"Nope," the bus driver mumbled, pushing down harder on the gas pedal. The bus lurched forward, the scenery outside blurring together.

"Uh, _what_?"

"I can't let you three go," he said, pulling off his hat, where a zipper was hidden.

"Why not? Who are you employed by?" the girl asked, clenching her fists. "And why is there a zipper on your head?"

"Could you take the wheel for a moment. I need to get out of this disguise. It's dreadful in here," he muttered, motion down to the wheel.

"No! Why would I—why would _you_ allow me to take the wheel?" the punk girl asked.

"Suit yourself," he muttered, and took his hands off the wheel. The bus jerked sideways. The black and red haired girl launched herself at the wheel and corrected it before it could crash into a car parked alongside the road. "I thought you'd see my way," he said, unzipping his head. _Never thought I'd hear those words—'unzipping his head'. _

"You smell like rotting corpses," the girl whispered. She was leaning over the bus driver, her pale hands clenching the wheel. She had a fierce look of concentration on her face.

"There's a very good reason for that, love," he said. A bleach blonde head of hair emerged from the slouching skin of what I could only assume was a completely life-like costume. The bus driver reached his hands up and pulled the skin further down, revealing his face and a nearly overpowering scent of… well, what the girl said—_rotting flesh_. He was actually pretty attractive—he had good bone structure, a well-proportioned nose, and lips that were just the right size. There was just one thing throwing me off—the bluish black skin.

"Maybe you should take a bath," she whispered, quickly looking over her shoulder at the man. Her black eyes briefly widened and a small smile slowly graced her lips.

"Eyes on the road!" the brown headed boy shouted. The girl swerved to avoid hitting another car. The blue skinned guy chuckled, and continued to climb out of the body suit. Once he had fully emerged from the costume, he reached for the steering wheel. He muttered a '_thank you'_ then took control of the bus. The black haired girl quickly jumped back, bumping into the brown headed guy.

"Who are you?" she asked. Her hands were shaking.

"My name is Eurynomos. I—"

"Like the guitarist for _Mayhem_?"

"He stole my name. The little…" he mumbled, shaking his head. "I was quite the fan of the group. It was terribly unfortunate that he was _murdered_ back in '93."

"How did _he_ steal _your_ name? He must have died before you were even born!" the girl said. "You look about my age, which is weird, because a sixteen year old shouldn't be driving a bus—"

"Who cares who stole who's name! I want to know why you won't let us go! And why do you have _blue skin_?" the boy asked.

"I was getting to that, before _someone _interrupted me," blue skin—_Eurynomos_—said. "My Mistress and Master have asked that I not reveal their names as the present time. They requested that I bring you to the lair. You two are very wanted ladies."

"Oh, so I'm not wanted?" Sir Brown hair asked.

"Nope."

"Then you can let me go, right?"

"Sorry, I can't do that. I have other plans for you." He smirked, revealing blinding white, razor sharp teeth.

_Eurynomos was a… AH! THINK! _I told myself. _Come on. He was… Okay. I remember the name. We were studying something about Greece—or was it Rome? No, I think it was Italian cul_—

"Ah _crap_!" Eurynomos yelled. The bus shuddered to a stop.

"Don't say that word!" the girl yelped.

"Out of gas. Just _lovely_. I've got a can in the storage compartment outside. You three stay in here while I go get it, okay?"

"Uh… _okay_?" we all three said at once. _Was he stupid? Did he think we would stay in here whenever he left?_

"Great!" He flashed his snow white chompers again, and stood up, fully removing himself from the body suit, and marched down the steps.

"Come on," the girl whispered, edging her way down the steps and few seconds later. We emerged from the bus and took off, each of us heading in a different direction.

My ankle screamed out in pain, but I kept running. I head the shouts of Eurynomos, but didn't look back. _Oh! I remember where I heard about him! He was a daemon in ancient Greece… _"What the _crap_?"


	4. Yes, I'm a Genius

_The Precarious Exploits of The Crows_

_Book One: The Rising_

_B r e . K a y l i . G a r r e t t_

_**Justin.**_

* * *

><p>"<em>You're the only one who can make the difference. Whatever your dream is, go for it." –Magic Johnson<em>

* * *

><p><em>Just smile, they'll love you<em>, I said to myself. _It's not like it's my first day here. I'm a regular now. I'm a pro. I'm a second year. I've got this. _I cracked a signature half grin, smoothed my khaki uniform, and opened the heavy oak door. A low roar of conversation met my ears and the smell of breakfast cooking met my nose. _Alright Justin, confidence is the key to success_. I nodded to a couple of guys I had buddied around with last year as I made my way to the line to get food.

"Toast?"

"Yes ma'am," I said, nodding. The cafeteria lady placed a piece of blackened bread on my tray. _Oh how I missed cafeteria food_.

"Okay, making me wear this uniform was one thing, but you can't make me take out my piercings!" a familiar voice shrieked. The cafeteria hushed, and I turned to try to see where the voice had come from. It wasn't hard to find. She was standing on a table, her black hair as spiky as ever. The red stripe in her hair was still there, as were her piercings. She had on several bracelets and necklaces over her uniform. _What was she doing here?_ "Why are you trying to make us conform? Look at everyone here. They look like mindless drones! I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I plan on keep my individuality."

"Ms. Kingsley, please step down from the table and handle this like a civil person," someone said.

"I _am_ being civil," she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "I'm simply protesting the unfair treatment of students at this school."

"_Academy_, Ms. Kingsley, this is an _academy_. Ezard Military Academy to be more precise," the unmistakable, chilling voice of the headmaster rang. Whispers erupted, only to be silenced as the brunette woman raised her hand. A path cleared to the table where the girl I had met a few months ago was standing. The headmaster slowly made her way, her heels clicking every step.

The girl cracked a cocky grin. "Top o' the mornin' Headmaster."

"Alisandria, I've read all about you. I've already been briefed. It was either military school or JDC, wasn't it?" the headmaster said, stopping in front of the table where the girl—_Alisandria_—was standing. _JCD… that's juvenile detention center. Why was she supposed to go to juvie?_ I asked myself.

The girl nodded her head. "Right you are. Lucky for you, my mother didn't think I was cut out for juvie."

"Yes, lucky me. Now if you would, please come with me to my office. We have some things which must be discussed." The headmaster promptly nodded before turning on her heels and heading back towards the door. Alisandria closed her eyes and took a deep breath before jumping down from the table and following the principal.

_What the crap was she doing here?_

"Come on, Justin. Move along, bro. We're hungry, too," someone mumbled. I snapped out of my thoughts and continued down the food line, not completely aware of my motions. _If she—Alisandria—was here, what did that mean? It was surely a sign, to meet her again. I've got to talk to her,_ I decided, dropping my tray of food. I didn't even bother picking it up. I ignored the shouts from everyone as I sprinted to the door.

"Please Mrs. Harrison, I just need to speak with her for a moment," I pleaded, giving the secretary a signature grin. "Just for a moment."

"I'm sorry Justin, but you can't," the receptionist said, frowning. She lowered her glasses and motioned towards the seats lined up against the wall behind me. "Have a seat, and as soon as she's free, you can go on in."

"But I need to speak to—" I started to say, then thought better of it. I sighed and walked to one of the chairs, slowly sitting down. I looked down at my watch. _Oh eight-hundred hours._ I had forty-five minutes until classes started.

"Aha," someone chuckled. I raised an eyebrow and turned my head. Three chairs away from me sat a girl with strikingly red hair, her honey eyes glued to the book she held. _Not her, too!_

"There's no way…" I muttered, scooting across the chairs to the one next to her. Her eyes slowly rose above the pages of her book, widening.

"What are you—"

"I could ask you the same question," I mumbled, shaking my head.

"You know that the black haired girl is here—"

"Yeah. I know," I said, cutting her off. "I told you there was some higher power at work here. Fate brought us together. We can't ignore it any longer."

She closed her book and brushed a strand of hair from her face. She gave me a small smile and held out her hand for me to shake. "We haven't had a proper introduction. I'm Jetta, Jetta Flynn."

"Jetta?" I asked, frowning as I shook her hand. "That's… _unusual._"

"My dad was unusual," she said, nodding. "And what do I call you? I'm getting tired of saying _that boy_ and _brown headed boy_ in my mind."

_What a weird thing to say._ "I'm Justin Matthews. Pleasure." She opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted, _again_. "Wait a minute… _Flynn_? That's your last name?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Yes?"

"I heard the headmaster got married over the summer, and her last name changed to Flynn. Is she—"

"My wonderful stepmother? Why yes, yes she is," Jetta muttered.

"I take it you don't like her much?" I asked.

"She's reason I had to go to this _academy_ in the first place! Dad and I were planning on moving to Canada, but he met Miss Military Butt, and we moved here."

"Oh," I said flatly. Silence soon took over, and Jetta picked up her book and started reading again.

The door to the headmaster's office slowly swung open, and laughter flooded out. "Okay Mrs. Flynn, will do. It was great talking to you. Okay. Bye, bye." The black haired girl stepped out from the office, a grin on her pale face. She nodded to the receptionist, Mrs. Harrison, and strode to the door labeled _Restroom_. She opened the door and stole a quick glance over her shoulder. "You two better not leave until I get out of here, yeah?" Then the door closed.

I turned to face Jetta who was doing the same to me. "She didn't even look surprised to see us," I whispered.

"I think she's just good at hiding her surprise," Jetta said, closing her book a second time.

"I am _very_ good at hiding my surprise," Alisandria said, smirking in front of us. She placed a small sandwich bag into her pocket, then crossed her arms.

"Did you take out your piercings?" I asked, looking closer at her face. Her eyebrow was ring-less, as was her lip and the one on her nose was gone, as well. The one between her lip and nose was still there, though.

"Why do you ask questions you clearly know that answers to?" she asked. "I did get to keep my Monroe, though." She pointed to the small jewel above her lip.

"Oh, I get why it was called a _Monroe_ piercing," Jetta said. "It was named after Marilyn Monroe, right?"

"Right you are," Alisandria said. "Now come on, we've got some things to talk about." She simpered and walked out of the room.

"She's very… _abrasive_," Jetta muttered, following her. I sighed and followed the two.

"So this is the military school you said you went to?" Alisandria asked, opening the door and stepping out into the bright morning light.

"Yeah," I muttered, looking over my shoulder to see if anyone I knew was watching—not that I could see. "Why?"

"Take us to a quiet place. You surely know where one is, what with you being a regular here," she said, motioning for me to lead the way. I nodded. I knew the _perfect_ place. It was a short distance from the pool and situated near the fence around the school. Woods were on the other side of— "The name's Alise, by the way. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She gave me a wink and motioned down to her hand, which was waiting to shake mine. I did. "You must be Jetta, right?" she asked the red head, who nodded, a confused look on her face. "Your step-mom told me about you." She turned back to me. "And what's your name? I never caught it."

"Uh, Justin Matthews," I said. "Now come on, let's go!" I sprinted off in the direction of the quiet place.

"Hey! Wait up! You don't have to run!" Alise yelled. I looked over my shoulder and saw the two girls following behind me at a slow jog.

"What's wrong, Kingsley? Out of shape, are we?" I taunted, slowing my pace down a bit.

"Why yes, I am. Thanks for noticing," she mumbled, rolling her eyes as she sped up to reach me. "I hate running. It's too… _quick_."

"I agree," Jetta muttered, tripping over a bottle cap that was lying on the ground. She flew through the air, grabbing onto Alise to try to support herself, who, in turn, started to stumble and grabbed on to me. Gravity pulled the three of us to the ground in a big heap.

"You're so clumsy," I said, struggling to untangle myself. I quickly leapt to my feet and offered a hand to the girls. Alise had already gotten to her feet. Jetta eyed my hand and scowled.

"I'm aware of that," she spat. "No need to point it out." She rose to her feet, crossing her arms.

"Uh, _okay_," Alise said, stepping between the two of us. "Why don't you take us to your spot now? You okay to walk, Jetta?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm fine," the red head said. She looked at me expectantly, inclining her head. "Go on."

_What's with her?_ I mentally asked myself. I sighed and took off again, _walking_ this time. Hopefully at a slower pace Jetta wouldn't trip. But then again, she'd probably fall over thin air.

"What did you and my step-mom talk about while you were in her office? You both went in steaming mad and came out laughing like two pals. What happened?" Jetta asked.

Alise laughed, her eyes crinkling. "It was just a little misunderstanding. I simply told her my plan, and she completely understood. She's a supporter, now."

"What plan?" I asked, turning to face the black haired girl.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Let's just say... Everywhere I go, I like to prove a point. Looks don't matter—it's what's inside that counts."

"What do you mean?"

"I look the way I do to prove to people that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that brilliance comes from where you least expect it," she said curtly.

"Are you saying there's brilliance in there?" I asked, playfully raising a lock of her hair up.

She glared and pulled something out of her pocket—a small, battery looking contraction that had a metallic glint to it. I reached forward to try to touch it, but she closed her fingers around it.

"What is it?" Jetta asked, gazing at Alise's closed fist. "It's putting off its own aura, like it's _alive_."

"Putting off its own aura… what do you mean?" Alise asked, eyeing the red head.

"Open your fist again," she said. Alise slowly unfurled her fingers, and the three of us gazed into her palm at the tiny cylinder. Around it, the air seemed to shimmer, like it was moving at a really high speed. "See? All_ living _things have a life force, but this… this has an aura all its own."

"You can see _auras_?" I asked. _That's not possible. Normal people can't just see auras,_ I added mentally.

She shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal.

"So what _is _this, Alise?" Jetta asked, tentatively reaching a hand forward. Alise's eyes narrowed and she closed her fingers around the little cylinder again.

"This," she said, motioning towards her fist, "was my ticket to first place at nationals."

"Nationals?"

She nodded. "Yes, nationals." She pulled out an old leathery wallet from her back pocket and reached inside. A yellowed piece of newspaper clipping emerged from the folds; she handed it to me.

Hesitantly, I peered down at the article:

_Girl Takes All at Junior National Science Convention_

_Alisandria Kingsley, 16, wowed the judges at the one-hundred forty-fourth annual Siemens Foundation Science Competition in Washington, D.C. on December sixth with her research of a self-sustaining battery. Kingsley constructed the contraption from nothing more than theoretical research gathered by top leading universities (Harvard and Yale, respectively), along with her own calculations. _

_She took first place in eight different categories, including 'Best Green Machine' and 'Most Promising Young Scientist', as well as 'Best Overall'. Her mother had this to say: "I'm so proud of Alise. Her childhood wasn't one you'd find in a fairytale. She's made the most out of what little we had. She's always been a hard worker, and is finally reaping the sweet results." _

_Most notable about Ms. Kingsley is her appearance, and her attitude towards such. When asked, her response: "I dress to prove a point. Who cares what you look like on the outside? I'm a freak, and I don't want to hide it! People brand you based on your appearance; I want that to change. I want to show the world that everyone deserves a chance."_

_Her prize winnings totaled to nearly $500,000. Her plans on the prize money?—Ivy League. "Harvard's like my drug," she says with a smirk. "But Yale's really nice, too. They're both dying to have me."_

_Keep Alisandria Kingsley in your sights; great things are sure to come from this young woman._

I handed back the newspaper clipping to Alise, who had a sly grin on her face. "Is that enough proof, eh?" she asked. "Or should I direct you to the documentary on the History Channel?"

"H-history Channel?" Jetta sputtered. "Seriously? They did a show all about you?"

"Not _just _me," she said, slipping the paper back into her wallet. "They interviewed some of the other competitors, too."

"Well that sounds like a terrible show," I muttered, low enough neither of them could hear.

"Is this the place you said we could talk?" the black haired girl asked, pointing a pale finger in front of us. My eyes rose to the small alcove of rocks situated in front of the chain link fence. The woods stretched seemingly endless behind it.

"Uh huh," I mumbled, plopping down on one of the rocks. The girls followed suit.

"First order of business," Alise began, tilting her head towards the woods. "What, in the name of all that is good and holy in the world, is that squawking?"


End file.
